


Fool's Errand

by Daiako (Achrya)



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angst, Blood and Gore, Full Shift Werewolves, Injury, M/M, On Hiatus, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2019-05-19 17:14:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14877980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Achrya/pseuds/Daiako
Summary: Kagami has been running most of his life, alone since his brother Tatsuya struck out on his own, rejected by everyone he encounters as an uncontrollable feral, more likely to be put down than allowed into a pack. When he runs afoul of a rabid alpha group he has no choice but to plunge into the untamed Seirin Canyon to escape.





	Fool's Errand

**Author's Note:**

> Another story for a friend, who very much keeps nudging me back into this fandom and I can't help but indulge. Besides, who don't love a good werewolf AU?

Kuroko was chasing rumors, potentially to his own detriment. There was no proof yet of a wolf pack in Seirin Forest and he had to admit, at least to himself, that it seemed unlikely. The forest, and the canyon that cut through it, were wild and known to be dangerous. The forest was deep and dark, resembling a black scar across the landscape when one looked at it from the mountains above, and known to be full of no small number of plants and animals who were breed to kill, be it by claw, teeth, poison, or things more sinister. The canyon walls were high and rocky, sheer in most places and with ledges and potential footholds so narrow most wouldn’t dream of trying to scale it. 

Supposedly the Seirin River, where the forest got its name, turned from a placid and easily navigated mountain stream into a raging death trap just within the treelines and navigating even on boat was just begging to end up drowning or broken upon upon rocks. Humans said it was full of monsters and uniformly avoided it and all the wolf packs Kuroko was familiar with did the same. There was more than enough territory in the Wild Lands, even with super packs like Teiko going around and absorbing other, smaller packs and their lands, that no one needed to deal with Seirin. 

Even if it hadn’t been a death trap that few had ever returned from exploring it was too close to the mountain, and the human settlements that lived in the shadow of it, for wolves to be bothered with. Or it had been, at least. Here, far from Teiko and everything he’d lost behind, roaming from scattered pack to pack kind enough to let him impose or trade, he’d heard the rumor. 

A new pack. Small, barely enough to qualify as one, that had somehow carved out a place for themselves in the canyon. Supposedly it’s head was an omega, something nearly unheard of even by those on the edge of the Wild Lands and away from the Alpha centered pressure of the larger packs. They weren’t allied with anyone yet, only occasionally coming out of the thick mist that clung to the forest to trade or find work in human settlements, or picking up strays, before disappearing again. 

Supposedly. 

The only real mark in favor of them being more than a newly blooming legend making its rounds through the outskirt packs, meant to encourage perseverance and hard work in pups (if a pack can live in Seirin than anything is possible), was that the number of ferals and dangerous bachelor packs had thinned out but no one was taking responsibility. That spoke to some other party doing the work of thinning out the rabid wolves but not taking credit for it. 

In a society were strength mattered more than anything else and thinning out out of control wolves could practically be used as currency Kuroko could think of few reasons someone wouldn’t speak up, beyond not wanting to be known. 

After piecing together what he could he’d begun to haunt the towns at the base of the mountain, waiting for the ones he was looking for. Humans overlooked him for the most part, their eyes looking right past him as if he were a ghost or so much dust to be skipped past without acknowledgement, and it worked for this purpose. No one thought to ask about the strange outsider, stalking bars and listening to gossip only to walk off into the darkness, unconcerned with rumors of monsters and beasts, only to show up elsewhere by morning, further away than a human should be able to manage without a horse. No one noticed him occasionally liberating supplies and food from the market, never much and he tried to leave useful things behind in the form of trinkets and furs he’d brought on his journey. 

He was a shadow chasing after shadows. 

He found them, eventually, in the largest of the human towns, passing through the market. The spring harvest had the stalls overflowing with garlic, onions, green leafy things, beans, and root vegetables, as well as the fruits of winter labor and the first slaughtered animals of season. The square was bustling and packed so tightly moving around was hard for most, though for Kuroko the crowd parted like water, often without realizing why they were doing it. He wanted to laugh sometimes at the confused faces and furrowed eyebrows that he saw when they realized they’d moved aside for someone they didn’t really ‘see’. 

But, for all humans packed into the area, he knew his own kind when he saw them. They stood out like flickering flames in a dark sea, bobbing along separate from the humans, untouched even as they weaved in and out of the crush of bodies. There were little things about them, the brightness of their eyes and the way light reflected, the way they moved, all the grace and agility of the wolf in the way their bodies stretched and swayed if you knew to look for it, the way they communicated with looks and gestures and soft, wordless sounds. 

A wolf pack.

He followed along for a time, watching them buy up seeds and seedlings as well as placing massive supply orders they’d come back and pick up later. There were three small groups, each headed by someone doing most of the talk and trade while others trailed behind and carried what they’d gotten before drifting away and out of the market. 

It was the three who seemed to be in charge, two men and a woman, that he eventually followed into a tavern. His sense of smell told him the woman was a beta, petite and muscular with sharp eyes that seemed to track everything going on around her, her scent mild and pleasant but touched with something that seemed almost...medicinal. The taller of the men was an alpha, broad and long limbed with an easy smile and a casual air about him, with an earthy, almost herbal scent. The other man was an omega, a little on the tall side (though Kuroko had seen taller and bigger) with sharp features and an even sharper frown and a scent that was smokey and metallic. 

If the rumors were true the omega was the one at the head of the pack, assuming he had found the right people, but after watching them interact all day Kuroko was sure it wasn’t as straightforward as all that. There was a dynamic there, between the three of them, some kind of give and take where they all gave their input, sometimes loudly and violently, and considered each other equally. His old pack had been very rigid in their setups, alphas at the top, betas filling out the ranks, and omegas at the bottom, caregivers and breeders but little else, and then a hierarchy of ranks and bloodlines within that. In his old pack the omega wouldn't have been allowed out of packgrounds at all, assuming he was fertile and of worth to someone. 

Kuroko hadn’t been of any worth to anyone so he’d had the, at times dubious, privilege of being able to roam free with his hunting party. That wasn’t something he was willing to give up, hence chasing after the rumor of a wolf pack in Seirin. 

They didn’t notice him at first, even when he’d sat down at the round table they were occupying. The tavern was large, and busy, so it wasn’t unusual for company to mix for the sake of space but he was sure it was more that they didn’t see him. They were deep in conversation, something about medicine and herbs, and that just made him leave even less of an impression than he normally did. It wasn’t until he cleared his throat (for the third time) that three sets of startled eyes found him. There was a moment of perfect stillness then the surprises on their faces melted into suspicion and unease for the beta and omega, and curiosity for the alpha. They saw him for what he was, the same as he did them, and they were immediately on guard. He was, after all, an omega and where an omega went there was likely to be more to follow, which could be trouble. 

Especially around humans, where exposure could bring a whole hoard of angry humans with weapons down on them. They were stronger and faster yes, but numbers were numbers and never on their side. 

“Y-Where did you come from?” The beta asked, hand over her heart. “How long have you been sitting there?”

“A few minutes.” He said, lifting his hand in greeting. “I’m Kuroko Tetsuya, formerly of Teiko.” Their eyes widened; the alpha looked nervous and the omega and beta both drew back, half rising from their seats. “I don’t want any trouble.” 

“Teiko is nothing but trouble.” The alpha said, no small amount of bitterness in his voice even as he smiled wistfully. The omega hummed his agreement. “What do you want?” 

“To talk. I...you take in strays?” 

They exchanged looks, confusion, uncertainty, a glimmer of interest. The omega shook his head. The beta frowned. The alpha’s smile grew. The omega’s eyebrows jumped up and lips parted slightly, asking a question Kuroko didn’t know the words to. The alpha shook his head tightly, head inclining towards Kuroko. The beta made a face then flicked a dismissive hand at them. The omega huffed then nodded. The alpha leaned closer, smile smoothing out into something more genuine. His companions sighed, exasperated and fond, and sat back down.  

“Let’s talk Kuroko.” He held out his hand, so large (huge, really) that it practically swallowed Kuroko’s when he offered it in return. “Kiyoshi Teppei. This is Riko and Hyuuga.” 

 

\----

 

**Eighteen Months Later**

 

It had been a day like this, Kuroko thought as he looked down from his rocky perch into a swampy clearing, when he’d been invited into the Seirin Canyon. Mild, on the cusp of transitioning between seasons, though then it had been from winter to spring and now was fall to winter, the taste of rain on the air. Over a year had gone past since then. The pack was flourishing, having picked up a few others since then, gotten their crops going strong, and tamed more of the treacherous land of the Seirin forest and canyon. 

But with carving out a place and taking on others came attention and with attention came competition, usually in the form smaller but vicious nomadic packs who heard about an omega headed pack and felt that meant they’d be easy to take over or wipe out, but also from ferals, both solo and in bachelor alpha packs. Usually the defenses they had took care of anyone who might get too close but sometimes they managed to get down the cliffs, through the marshes with their hidden pits and sucking sands without a guide, and got down to the river, and close enough to need a direct hand. 

Today was one of those days. Below him, in the clearing, was a group of wolves, strangers. Alphas, judging by the size of them, and with their knotted, filthy fur, foaming jaws, and eyes that glowed a disturbing white it was clear they were rabid. They would be near senseless, might have lost the ability to shift forms, attacked without reason or thoughts, and couldn’t be trusted around anyone. When they came tearing through a pack they left only ruin behind, lacking the capacity to even try to take over or lay claims like loners or ferals might. They could form groups but would attack and destroy each other in a heartbeat. 

At first Kuroko had thought that’s what he was witnessing as the bulk of the group chased after one particular wolf but, as he’d followed silently, and out of their sight, he’d realized that wasn’t the case at all. The wolf they were after was filthy, yes, fur full of burrs and twigs, caked in mud and what looked like blood, and his muzzle was flecked with bloody foam but the eyes gave away the truth of the situation.

The eyes weren’t the pupil less, light filled white of a rabid wolf but were a piercing red. The rabid pack was after him and, in the process, had come within scenting distance of Seirin pack lands. If the wind blew the wrong way they’d be after their den’s once they were done tearing apart their prey. 

And they were going to tear them apart, rip the flesh and crack the bones to get at the marrow, and leave nothing behind; that was how rabid wolves worked. The wolf was wounded, dragging their back left leg behind them and dripping blood from their belly and right shoulder. In the time Kuroko had been tracking them they’d lost considerable speed and the distance they’d had on their pursuers; it was only a matter of time before they were overtaken. Plus they were running straight for the canyon wall, being clumsily corralled by the pack nipping at their heels. They were nearly out of running space and would have to make a stand that, ultimately, would end in death. 

He wasn’t pack. For all Kuroko knew they were dangerous, just like the rabid wolves after them, and if they’d already been bitten there was a chance they’d go rabid as well. Saving them, rather than letting the pack wear themselves out fighting and kill them, was a bad tactical move. They were too injured to be of any use and protecting them would slow his team down. They would already be outnumbered, three to eight, and all of the wolves giving chase looked bigger than Kuroko and his party. It was better to get in place, and attack smartly. That was what Kuroko was good at after all, getting those who followed him into the right places, ready to move and attack unseen. On his own he was too weak, too slow, lacked the agility and ability to act but from the shadows, with the right people…

He turned his head, considering the distance between the large wolf and the cliff wall. A few more minutes. Five, at the most, and then it would be all over. 

With the Teiko pack it was considered foolish to protect what wasn’t theirs, foolish to risk themselves for an outsider, foolish to not wait for the optimal moment. 

Behind him Furihata, in full shift, yipped in question; Fukuda was at his side, shifting on his feet restlessly. Kuroko licked over his teeth then, with one last look below, stepped back into the shadow of the overhang and dropped down to his hands, letting the full change overtake him. 

Kuroko’s mother had called him a fool when he’d left Teiko so it was, he supposed, only right that he continued to live up to that. 

There was something about that wolf that reminded him of someone else. They didn't actually look alike, shaggy fur that was such a vibrant red it showed through all the filth was nothing like the silken blue-black he was thinking of, deepest red eyes as far from narrow deep blue as could be, and yet there was something, maybe the way they moved or the bloodthirsty glint in their eyes, that was haunting him. 

That too was foolish.  

Hyuuga was going to kill him, literally, if this went badly. 

**Author's Note:**

> I've got 3 major arcs planned out for this, the first one I'm hoping to have all wrapped up within the week, and there will be visits from other teams/packs and other ships (Kise/Aomine and Himuro/Murasakibara for certain) once the story really gets rolling. But first a rousing tale of how Kagami ends up with the Seirin pack.


End file.
